Power controlled network devices for security and power conservation

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides method and systems for activating or deactivating network devices by managing the power of the network device. By controlling the power for network devices, the size and coverage of the network can be adjusted to meet the needs for the current usage. This can be particularly advantageous in wireless networks where multiple wireless access points may be provided to provide coverage during peak usage but present the additional security concern of the network being accessible to unauthorized users. Being able to power down unneeded wireless access points during off-peak usage allows for the minimization of such potential security concerns.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/332,703 filed Jan. 16, 2006, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/643,987, entitled “PowerControlled Wireless Access Points for Security and Power Conservation”,filed Jan. 13, 2005, both applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to networking. MoreSpecifically, it relates to IEEE 802 networking approaches, Power overthe Ethernet (POE) and the access, control, and security of networking.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Typically, network systems are deployed in a manner that providesmaximum coverage and connectivity so as to minimize loss of connectionduring peak usage. In many instances this involves multiple networkdevices often deployed in a redundant or overlapping manner. Onedisadvantage of such systems is that during non-peak usage, many of theprovided network devices may not be needed and are unnecessarily poweredand active. In addition, the greater the number of active networkdevices, the greater the security risk for the system. That is, eachactive network device is a potential entry point for intrusion into thenetwork.

Therefore, what is needed is means of managing the power for networkdevices depending on the level of connectivity required by the network.In this manner, power consumption and security issues can be minimizedwhen there is low demand on the network by powering down or deactivatingnetwork devices that are not required to provide connectivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides method and systems for activating ordeactivating network devices by managing the power of the networkdevice. By controlling the power for network devices, the size andcoverage of the network can be adjusted to meet the needs for thecurrent usage. This can be particularly advantageous in wirelessnetworks where multiple wireless access points may be provided toprovide coverage during peak usage but present the additional securityconcern of the network being accessible to unauthorized users. Beingable to power down unneeded wireless access points during off-peak usageallows for the minimization of such potential security concerns.

In accordance with a first embodiment, a method is provided for managingpower of a network device. The method comprises the steps of determiningone or more operational characteristics of a network associated with thenetwork device; and managing power consumption of the network devicebased on the one or more operational characteristics of the network.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method is provided for managingpower of a network device providing wireless connectivity to a network.The method comprises the steps of determining a state of wirelessconnectivity provided by the network; and managing power consumption ofthe network device based on the state of wireless connectivity.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method of managing power to oneor more network devices associated with a network is provided. Themethod comprises the steps of determining a location of one or morenetwork users; controlling a state of a first wireless access pointassociated with the network based on the location of at least one of thenetwork users; and powering down a second wireless access point havingno users associated therewith.

In accordance with another embodiment, an electronic device associatedwith a network is provided. The electronic device comprises a locationmechanism configured to determine a location of one or more networkusers; a control mechanism configured to output a control signal basedon the location of the one or more network users, the control signalcontrolling an operational state of a plurality of wireless accesspoints associated with the network based on the location of at least oneof the network users; wherein each of the plurality of wireless accesspoints in response to receipt of the control signal takes an action toperform one of powering down, powering up, reducing an amount of powerconsumption, increasing an amount of power consumption, and maintainingan amount of power consumption.

In accordance with another embodiment, an electronic device associatedwith a network having a plurality of wireless access points is provided.The electronic device comprises a location mechanism configured todetermine a location of one or more network users; a control mechanismconfigured to output a control signal based on the location of the oneor more network users, each of the plurality of wireless access pointshaving an input to receive the control signal, wherein each of theplurality of wireless access points includes a power control mechanismresponsive to the control signal and a beam steering mechanismresponsive to the control signal, wherein each of the power controlmechanisms in response to receipt of the control signal takes an actionto transition a respective one of the plurality of wireless accesspoints from a first power state to a second power state and to maintaina respective one of the plurality of wireless access points in one ofthe first power state and the second power state; and wherein a portionof the beam steering mechanisms of the plurality of wireless accesspoints in the first power state in response to receipt of the controlsignal take an action to provide a selected level of wireless accesscoverage to the one or more users while conserving an amount of powerconsumed of the plurality of wireless access points.

In accordance with another embodiment, a network device associated witha network having a plurality of network devices is provided. The networkdevice comprises a monitoring mechanism configured to monitor one ormore wireless connectivity parameters of the network at a selectedsampling rate to detect a change in a number of wireless network users;and a control mechanism configured to output a control signal based onthe change in the number of wireless network users, wherein a firstportion of the plurality of network devices associated with the networkeach have an input to receive the control signal and in response toreceipt of the control signal the first portion of the network deviceseach initiate a change in a level of power consumption, and wherein asecond portion of the plurality of network devices associated with thenetwork each have an input to receive the control signal and in responseto receipt of the control signal each of the second portion of thenetwork devices initiates a change in an operational characteristic toprovide a selected level of network services to the wireless networkusers.

In accordance with another embodiment, in a network device associatedwith a network, a method is provided. The method comprises the steps ofsampling one or more network parameters; determining from the one ormore network parameters a change in a number of wireless network users;controlling an operational characteristic of the network based on thechange in the number of wireless network users; and powering off anothernetwork device associated with the network.

In accordance with another embodiment, a network device is provided. Thenetwork device comprises a port adapted to receive a transmission mediumfor transmitting a power signal, a power module having circuitry tomanage power consumption of said network device and an input to receivea control signal; and a control module having an output to assert saidcontrol signal in response to a change in a state of a networkassociated with said network device, wherein the circuitry in responseto receipt of the control signal takes an action to change a level ofpower consumption of said network device to provide a selected level ofservice based on the change in the state of the network.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method for managing power of anetwork device in a network is provided. The method comprises the stepsof determining one or more operational parameters of one or more networkdevices and associated functions, managing power consumption of aselected one or more of the network devices based on the one or moreoperational parameters of the one or more network devices and associatedfunctions and adjusting one or more of the operational parameters of theother network devices.

In accordance with another embodiment, a network device is provided. Thenetwork device comprises a port adapted to receive a transmission mediumfor transmitting a power signal, a control module to control a state ofthe power signal as supplied to a selected other network device by saidnetwork device in response to a control signal representative of a stateof a network having a selected topology associated with said networkdevice.

In accordance with another embodiment, in a network having one or morenetwork devices powered at least in part by a Power Over Ethernet (POE)connection, a method is provided for controlling access to the network.The method comprises the steps of detecting a security event in thenetwork; and disabling power to a network device using POE in responseto the security event. A security event is any event which may indicatean attack or intrusion to the network. An Intrusion Detection System(IDS) is a well known method to detect some security events. Othermethods of detecting security events include, but are not limited to:firewall events, authentication failures, events from servers andgateways, illegal addresses, router events, or even new MAC addressdetection by an access device. Any event deemed interesting by a networkadministrator might be classified as a security event.

In accordance with another embodiment, in a network having a pluralitynetwork devices powered at least in part by Power Over Ethernet (POE)connections, a method is provided for managing power to the pluralitynetwork devices. The method comprises the steps of: determining anamount of network resources to support a service level; and supplyingpower to selected ones of the plurality of network devices to providethe amount of network services.

In accordance with another embodiment, a device capable of providingpower to one or more network communication devices in a networkenvironment is provided. The device comprises a mechanism forcontrolling power to at least a portion of the one or more networkcommunication devices, a mechanism for determining at least one of anarea of the network environment having redundant network access coverageand an area of the network environment having other redundantcapability, and a mechanism for adjusting parameters of the one or morenetwork communication devices to change at least one of the size of thearea of the network environment having redundant network access coverageand the area of the network environment having other redundantcapability, wherein the mechanism for controlling power to at least aportion of the one or more network communication devices takes an actionto power off at least one of the communications devices based at leastone of the area of the network environment having redundant networkaccess coverage and the area of the network environment having otherredundant capability.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method is provided forcontrolling power to one or more network communication devices in anetwork environment. The method comprises the steps of determining atleast one of an area of the network environment having redundant networkaccess coverage and an area of the network environment having otherredundant capability, adjusting parameters of the one or more networkcommunication devices to change at least one of the size of the area ofthe network environment having redundant network access coverage and thearea of the network environment having other redundant capability, andtaking an action to power off at least one of the communications devicesbased on at least one of the size of the area of the network environmenthaving redundant network access coverage and the area of the networkenvironment having other redundant capability.

In accordance with another embodiment, a device capable of providingpower to one or more network communication devices in a networkenvironment is provided. The device comprises a mechanism forcontrolling delivery of power to the one or more communication devices,the mechanism being configured to power on or power off a selected oneof the communication devices based on one of an event and a requirementfor the selected communication device, a mechanism for determining if aservice provided by the selected device is required in the network, anda mechanism for adjusting network communication device parameters tochange one of a state of network access and an area of network coverage.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method of controlling a networkis provided. The method comprises the steps of determining networkservice requirements for the network; providing the network servicerequirements with a first set of network devices; and powering down asecond set of network devices, wherein the second set of network devicesincludes network devices not required to provide a predetermined servicelevel for the network service requirements.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method is provided for managingpower of a network device. The method comprising the steps ofdetermining one or more operational characteristics of a networkassociated with the network device, managing power consumption of thenetwork device based on the one or more operational characteristics ofthe network; and adjusting operation parameters of other network devicesin the network.

The details of various embodiments of the invention are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages ofthe invention will become more apparent and may be better understood byreferring to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram depicting an illustrative method for practicingan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram depicting an illustrative method for practicinganother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting an illustrative method for practicingan embodiment of the present invention in a wireless network.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicting an illustrative network depictingvarious embodiments of network devices of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention are described below. It is,however, expressly noted that the present invention is not limited tothese embodiments, but rather the intention is that additions andmodifications to what is expressly described herein also are includedwithin the scope of the invention. Moreover, it is to be understood thatthe features of the various embodiments described herein are notmutually exclusive and can exist in various combinations andpermutations, even if such combinations or permutations are notexpressly made herein, without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

FIG. 1 depicts a flow chart 100 of one embodiment for a method formanaging power of a network device. In this example, the first stepinvolves determining one or more operational characteristics of anetwork associated with the network device 110. Power of the networkdevice is then managed based on the one or more operationalcharacteristics of the network.

The network device can be any number of devices that are connected toand communicate over a network. Examples of network devices include, butnot limited to, routers, bridges, servers, switches, wireless accesspoints, wireless repeaters, Voice over IP (VoIP) devices, and the like.Certain embodiments of network devices are discussed in more detailbelow.

The network can be a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network(WAN), a virtual private network (VPN), a wireless network, or anycombination thereof. The network may include a number of network devicesfor which the power may be managed. Other possible networks will beapparent to one skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure.

With regard to the first step 110 of the method of FIG. 1, operationalcharacteristics can be any number of characteristics or parameters thatrelate to the operation of network. Examples of operationalcharacteristics include, but are not limited to, usage of the network,the state of a primary network link, security of the network, loss ofconnectivity, bandwidth usage of a link or the network, redundancy inthe network, or the like. There are a wide variety of operationalcharacteristics which may be useful to help determine the ability tochange power setting and/or increase the security of a network.Redundancy is a prime characteristic which is used in any algorithm tohelp make optimal decisions. In a wireless network any overlap in the RFcoverage area for a set of devices may be part of a network redundancy.Backup or parallel links in the infrastructure or to attach serverssystems are other forms of redundancy. Certain other examples will bediscussed in greater detail below. Other embodiments will be apparent toone skilled in the art given the benefit of this disclosure.

After one or more operational characteristics have been determined, thepower consumption of the device can be managed as seen in step 120 ofFIG. 1. Managing the power consumption of the network device may involvepowering off the device, powering on the device, placing the device in acold, warm, or hot standby state, reducing power to the device,increasing power to the device, or any combination thereof. Controlsignaling may also be used to change the operational parameters of thedevice such that the amount of power consumed by the device is altered.By managing power consumption of the network device directly through thesourced power or indirectly through changes to the operationalparameters, the operational characteristics or parameters of the networkdevice as well as the network itself may be adjusted. Complex algorithmsare often needed to insure little or no loss of network services occuras redundancies in the network are managed and often reduced tofacilitate increases in security and savings in power. The algorithmsattempt to power down unneeded resources often removing redundancies andalso re-enable these resources before or as they are needed tocontinuously provide full network services.

In one example of operation, the state of the primary link of thenetwork device may be determined and, based on the state of the primarylink, the power consumption of a redundant link may be managed to placethe redundant link into a standby state. In another example ofoperation, a security event in the network is determined and in responseto the security event power is disabled a network device. Thus, thesuspect network device is disabled.

In one embodiment, power consumption management may be performed usingthe IEEE 802.3af standard for Power over Ethernet (PoE). Power overEthernet (PoE) allows for power to be delivered over the Ethernet cableto power network devices. Power is generally provided by a powerinserting device (midspan insertion) or by integrating the power andcontrol logic into a switching or relay device generally used for packetrelay services in Ethernet based networking systems. Typically these PoEsystems are managed.

In another embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, a flow chart 200 is providedfor an exemplary method for controlling power to one or more networkcommunication devices in a network environment. The first step involvesdetermining one or more operating characteristics such as an area of thenetwork environment having redundant network access coverage, otherredundant capability, or both (step 210). Parameters of the one or morenetwork communication devices may then adjusted based on the one or moredetermined operating characteristics (Step 220). For example, the sizeof the area of the network environment having redundant network accesscoverage, other redundant capability, or both may be changed. Finally,an action may be taken to manage power for at least one of thecommunications devices based on the size of the area of the networkenvironment having redundant network access coverage, other redundantcapability, or both (step 230). For example, the one or more networkdevice may be powered down. The area of the network environment havingredundant network access coverage may be provided by wireless accesspoints, redundant links in a topology of the network environment,additional switching capacity, or one or more additional communicationlinks in a mesh topology. In certain embodiments the method of FIG. 2 isperformed in a network device. Suitable network devices have beendiscussed herein above.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, the methodology of FIG. 1 isapplied to a wireless network. FIG. 3 shows a flow chart 300 of a methodfor managing power of a network device providing wireless connectivityto a network. In this embodiment, the first step 310 involvesdetermining one or more operational characteristic such as a state ofwireless connectivity provided by the network. For example, one or morenetwork traffic characteristics, RF power settings and/or antennacharacteristics for each wireless connection to the network provided bythe network device. The parameters of the wireless network or networkdevice may then be adjusted based on the state of the wireless networkin step 320. This may include moving wireless users or services,changing QOS requirements, stopping or starting the advertisement ofservices, altering the frequencies or channels of operation or otherwisealtering services. In step 330 the power of the network device ismanaged based on the state of wireless connectivity. This may includepowering down a network device to conserve power or placing the devicein a reduced power mode. In embodiments where the wireless networkincludes several wireless devices, this process may be performed foreach network device and/or the system as a whole for the coverage area.Alternately activity of step 320 may be performed after the activity ofstep 330. Other steps may added be to move wireless users or services,change QOS requirements, stop or start advertising services, alterfrequencies or channels of operation or otherwise alter services of asingle device, sets of devices or the entire system.

In another example, the power management of network devices may be basedon the presence and required services of a network user. For example thepresence of a user may be determined by detecting the user accessing thewireless network with a certain application. In another embodiment, theuser may also be detected using other means like Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) badge, use of a security pass, motion sensors, orthe like. The operating parameters of one or more network devices canthen be adjusted based on the presence of the user and in turn, thepower consumption. For security purposes, it may be desirable to powerdown certain network devices such as wireless access points or VoIPphones when they are not needed or the primary user is in anotherlocation. Thus when a user leaves the vicinity of such a network device,the network device may be powered down or set to a low power mode orservices altered to reflex limited use (911 only). In turn, when a userenters the vicinity of the network device, the device can then bepowered up to provide network access to the user. Using such a techniqueit is also possible to have network functionality track with a userthrough a facility or coverage area. That is, when a user moves from afirst area to a second area, the network devices in the first area maybe powered down and the network devices in the second area powered on.Power consumption and security concerns are thus minimized because onlynecessary network devices are powered. Likewise, in certain embodiments,additional network devices may be powered up to increase coverage, QOSrequirements, or bandwidth as necessary. Such techniques may also beapplied for multiple users on the network and all parameters of a policymanagement system. That is, power management may be used to power up ordown network devices as needed to provide coverage as the number ofusers or service needs on the network changes.

In certain embodiments, the power management, such as powering down, ofone network device may also require to adjustment of operationalcharacteristics or parameters of other network devices. For example, ifone network device such as a wireless access point, is powered down,other wireless devices may have their coverage area increased, bychanges to their RF transmit power and receiver sensitivity, tocompensate. In another example, if a network switch is powered downbecause of a security event, additional switches or redundant links maybe activated to maintain bandwidth and connectivity. The adjustment ofoperational parameters of other network devices may be accomplished bycontrol signaling or using the power management techniques disclosedherein.

An example of an embodiment of a network employing power management ofthe present invention can be seen in FIG. 4. Here the network features anumber of network devices 410, 430, 440, 470, 480, 500 interconnectedover a network 490. It should be understood that the networkconfiguration of FIG. 4 is for exemplary purposes to demonstratedifferent embodiments of network devices. A network may include anynumber of network devices in any number of combinations. Additionalnetwork configuration will be apparent to one skilled in the art giventhe benefit of this disclosure.

In this example, network device 410 of FIG. 4 includes the functionalityfor power management. Along with the device functionality 412 thatprovides for services such as switching, routing, wireless access orVoIP telephony; network device 410 features a port 414 adapted toreceive a transmission medium 416 for transmitting a power signal, apower module 418; and a control module 424.

In this example, network device 410 is powered over attached cable 416.The power module 418 has circuitry to manage power consumption of saidnetwork device 410 and an input 420 to receive a control signal 422. Thecircuitry of the power module 418 is configured to, upon receipt of acontrol signal 422 from the control module 424 take an action to changethe level of power consumption of the network device 410 to provide aselected level of service based on the change in the state of thenetwork 490.

The control module 424 is configured to monitor the state of the network490. When a change in the state of the network id detected, a controlsignal 422 is sent from output 426 to the power module 418. The state ofthe network may be based on any number of the operationalcharacteristics discussed throughout this disclosure. For example thestate of the network may indicate a state of a primary communicationslink of the network device or the location of a user. Other possiblestates of the network will be apparent to one skilled in the art giventhe benefit of this disclosure.

Actions taken by the circuitry of the power module 418 can include, butare not limited to, powering down the network device, placing thenetwork device in a state of standby such as hot, warm or cold standby,and powering up all or a portion of the network device. For example, theaction taken may involve managing power consumption of a portion of thenetwork device associated with a redundant communications link of thenetwork device based on the state of the primary communications link ofthe network device such as placing the redundant communication link in astandby state. Alternately, the receiver portion of a VoIP telephonydevice may be powered up based on the reception of a call and powereddown at the end of a call.

Network device 430 is an example of a Management and Control Entity(MCE) in switch based and managed implementations of POE where power issourced and controlled by the switch 491 or other network controlleddevice (such as a midspan power providing device). Attached device 480attached by Ethernet cable 481 may be powered down by the network whendesired. Network device 430 includes a port 432 adapted to receive atransmission medium 434, such as an Ethernet cable, for transmitting apower signal and a control module 436 to control a state of the powersignal. The signals are supplied to a selected other network device(491, 440) by network device 430 in response to a control signal 438representative of the state of a network having a selected topologyassociated with network device 430 or 480. By controlling the state ofthe power signal supplied to the selected other network devices (491,440) network device 430 is able to increase or reduce the amount of oneor more services provided by the network 490.

Network device 500 is another example of a Management and Control Entity(MCE). Here network device includes mechanisms 510, 514, and 518.Mechanism 510 for controlling delivery of power over a transmissionmedium 512 to the one or more selected network devices (440) isconfigured to power on or power off a selected one of the networkdevices (440) based on an event or requirement for the selected networkdevice. An example of an event is a network service request such as froma building access control system or surveillance mechanism 520. Examplesof surveillance mechanism include, but are not limited to, an imageacquisition device, a motion detector, a noise detector, an imageacquisition device, and a card reader. Mechanism 514 determines if aservice provided by the selected device is required in the network.Mechanism 518 is configures to adjust network device parameters tochange the state of network access or an area of network coverage.

Network device 440 is an example of wireless access point utilizingnetwork power management allowing a user 540 to wirelessly connect tothe network. In addition to the wireless functionality 442 of a wirelessaccess point, network device 440 includes a port 444 for connecting tothe network and control mechanism 446 for receiving a control signal 448from a device such as network devices 430, 470, and 500. In certainembodiments, network device may further include a beam steeringmechanism 450.

The control mechanism is configured to, in response to the receipt of acontrol signal from a device such a network devices 430, 470, and 500,takes an action to power down, power powering up, reduce an amount ofpower consumption, increase an amount of power consumption, maintain anamount of power consumption, or the like. In embodiments having a beamsteering mechanism 450, the beam steering mechanism 450 is configuredto, in response to the receipt of a control signal from a device such anetwork devices 430, 470, and 500, take an action to provide a selectedlevel of wireless access coverage while conserving an amount of powerconsumed of the plurality of wireless access points. In certainembodiments, only portions of the network device 440 are power managedusing the techniques herein.

Network device 470 in another Management and Control Entity (MCE)configured to work with one or more wireless access points (440). Inthis example, network device 470 includes a monitoring mechanism 472 anda control mechanism 474. The monitoring mechanism 472 is configured tomonitor one or more wireless connectivity parameters of the network. Incertain embodiments this involves sampling at a selected rate to detecta change in a number of wireless network users. In other embodiments,the monitoring mechanism 472 may comprise or include a locationmechanism configured to determine a location of one or more networkusers.

The control mechanism is configured to output a control signal based onthe one or more monitored wireless connectivity parameters of thenetwork. In some embodiments the control signal is outputted based on achange in the number of users. In another embodiment having a locationmechanism, the control signal is generated based on the location of oneor more users.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. Therefore, it must be expressly understood that theillustrated embodiments have been shown only for the purposes of exampleand should not be taken as limiting the invention, which is defined bythe following claims. These claims are to be read as including what theyset forth literally and also those equivalent elements which areinsubstantially different, even though not identical in other respectsto what is shown and described in the above illustrations.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing operational power of awireless network access point device, the method comprising: determininga number of users associated with a wireless network access point deviceassociated with a coverage area, the number of users being associatedwith an area of a network having an overlap in RF network accesscoverage; detecting a change in the number of users associated with thewireless network access point device; and in response to the detecting,managing the coverage area of the wireless network access point deviceby powering up or down all or a portion of the wireless network accesspoint device based on the changed number of users.
 2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the determining the number of users comprises:determining a presence of one or more users of the network.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the managing of the coverage area of thewireless network access point device comprises: controlling a state ofthe wireless network access point device.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the controlling of the state of the wireless network accesspoint device comprises: instructing the wireless network access pointdevice to operate in a reduced power mode.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the managing of the coverage area of the wireless network accesspoint device comprises: adjusting one or more parameters of the wirelessnetwork access point device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein power tothe wireless network access point device is provided by Power OverEthernet (POE).
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determininga level of redundancy in the network.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising determining an event in the network.
 9. The method of claim8, wherein the event in the network relates to at least one of networksecurity, network connectivity, network coverage, a presence of adevice, and a presence of a user of the network.
 10. The method of claim1, wherein the network is a wireless network.
 11. The method of claim10, further comprising determining a state of wireless connectivityprovided by the network.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the networkcomprises multiple wireless network devices, wherein the managing of thecoverage area of the wireless network access point device comprises:managing power requirements of one or more of the multiple wirelessnetwork devices based on one or more operational characteristics of thenetwork.
 13. A wireless network access point device comprising: a portadapted to receive a transmission medium for transmitting a powersignal; a power consumption module having circuitry configured to manageoperational power consumption of the wireless network access pointdevice; and a control module for: determining a number of usersassociated with a wireless network access point device associated with acoverage area, the number of users being associated with an area of anetwork having an overlap in RF network access coverage, detecting achange in the number of users associated with the wireless networkaccess point device, and in response to the detecting, managing coveragearea of the wireless network access point device based on the changednumber of users, wherein the managing of the coverage area of thewireless network access point device causes the circuitry in the powerconsumption module to power up or down all or a portion of the wirelessnetwork access point device.
 14. The device of claim 13, furthercomprising: functionality to provide one or more network services. 15.The device of claim 13, wherein the control module determines the numberof users upon detecting a presence of one or more users of the network.16. The device of claim 13, wherein the control module changes a stateof the wireless network access point device.
 17. The device of claim 16,wherein the state of the wireless network access point device is a powermode, and wherein the control module is configured to manage thecoverage area of the wireless network access point device by instructingthe circuitry in the power consumption module to operate the wirelessnetwork access point device in a reduced power mode.
 18. The device ofclaim 13, wherein the control module manages the coverage area of thewireless network access point device upon detecting a level of overlapin the coverage area.
 19. The device of claim 13, wherein the controlmodule is configured to manage the coverage area of the wireless networkaccess point device by adjusting one or more parameters of the wirelessnetwork access point device based on one or more operationalcharacteristics of the network.